The Reggio Emilia approach is a flexible, hands-on educational philosophy where children are encouraged to express themselves and their interests in various ways while developing their personalities through a self-guided curriculum. This type of preschool curriculum was developed in post-World War II Italy, where the citizens of Reggio Emilia decided to use the materials from destroyed buildings to build a school focused on early childhood education. Loris Malaguzzi, a local educator, created the Reggio Emilia approach within its walls.
The Reggio Emilia approach is founded on:
The Reggio Emilia approach, founded by Loris Malaguzzi, views children as capable learners who shape their own education through exploration and collaboration. Instead of a traditional hierarchy, it fosters partnerships among children, teachers, and families. Learning is expressed through multiple “languages” such as art, music, movement, and play, encouraging creativity and communication. For over 70 years, this community-driven model has supported children’s independence and growth through shared participation.
Reggio Emilia works because it puts children at the center of their education and allows them to actively learn, explore, and question while shaping them into life-long learners.
There are advantages and disadvantages to any type of preschool curriculum; however, there’s a reason why the Reggio Emilia approach has been in practice for over 70 years.
Reggio Emilia’s curriculum is flexible, hands-on, and engaging. It allows children to initiate and guide their learning experiences. The approach aims to empower children to take pride in their learning. Because their education and development are self-directed and based on their interests, ideas, and thoughts, it helps create positive classroom experiences and excites them about learning. The focus on hands-on activities encourages problem-solving, collaboration, creativity, and more.
It’s necessary to note that the Reggio Emilia curriculum may not be a perfect fit for children who benefit from a more structured classroom where the curriculum is set and guided by teachers. However, the approach is effective in shaping independent learners who have the opportunity to explore and satisfy their diverse curiosities.
In the Reggio Emilia approach, there is the concept of 100 languages. In a poem written by Malaguzzi, he writes that children have a hundred languages, thoughts, and ways of thinking, playing, speaking, listening, understanding, and more. In the classroom, children can explore their 100 languages as each child speaks a series of languages that are unique to them. Reggio Emilia classrooms can push individualized learning that creates experiences for each child. By exposing children to various activities or “languages,” Reggio Emilia classrooms create an environment that makes children empathetic and adaptable critical thinkers.
One of the founding principles of Reggio Emilia is that the environment functions as an educator. The curriculum works because it’s physically designed to work. The environment is designed to support flexible, hands-on learning with resources and materials that give children the tools to control their learning.
Reggio Emilia works because it puts children at the center of their education and allows them to actively learn, explore, and question while shaping them into life-long learners.
Early childhood education programs give children the skills and tools they need to become active, engaged learners who are invested in their education and development. Reggio Emilia uses four principles to guide this process.
Reggio Emilia is an emergent curriculum built upon the interests of the children. This way of teaching requires teachers to observe and have discussions with children and their families to discover their abilities, needs, and skills and build them into classroom learning, activities, and play. In implementing an emergent curriculum, Reggio Emilia teachers act as researchers (learning and observing the children), documenters (listening to and recording their actions and behaviors), and managers (guiding, nurturing, and solving problems).
Early childhood education programs give children the skills and tools they need to become active, engaged learners who are invested in their education and development. Reggio Emilia uses four principles to guide this process.
Collaboration is a skill that strengthens a child’s cognitive, social-emotional, and language development. Reggio Emilia classrooms prioritize collaborative group work—in small and large groups—where children are encouraged to work together to problem-solve, negotiate, and practice empathy. Children are also called to collaborate with teachers to decide which interests will be explored. The idea of collaboration even expands beyond the classroom as it emphasizes child, staff, and family involvement in the learning experience.
OUR CURRICULUM is inspired by the highly recognized Reggio Emilia approach focused on preschool and primary education. It is a pedagogy described as a student-centered approach that uses self-directed, experiential learning in relationship-driven environments. Our team creates lessons and learning opportunities with intention and focus to deliver experiential learning opportunities. The program is based on the principles of respect, responsibility, and community through exploration and discovery. Our curriculum is enriched and engaging and is designed to help children learn and become academically proficient, even at a young age. We strive to provide an enriching quality environment for our children which supports school readiness and life success. We achieve this balance by providing opportunities for guidance and freedom, group and individual activities, participation and experiences. We emphasize a curriculum for young children that is based on their primary learning mode and we believe that it is “PLAY” and not letters and numbers. We work on the development of core personal characteristics like intentional learning, cooperativeness, communication, confidence, relatedness, self control, curiosity and so on. It is these characteristics that we believe are more closely related with school success.
